Folding crate.



W. E. THRASHER.

FOLDING CRATE.

rPLIoATIoN FILED JUNI: as, 190e.

Patented sept. 1a, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

@vih/wams Gmnnuf W. E. THRASHBR.

FOLDING CRATE.

APPLIoA'rIoN FILED JUNI: 29, 190e.

Patented Sept. 13,1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lig.

Witwe/awa @f lm: Namen rsu-Rs ca., wAsNmavuN. n. c.

W. E. THRASHER.

FOLDING CRATE.

APPLIoATIox rILnn .mms 29.19011.

970,279. Patented s911113, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IEdEL WILLIAM E. THRASHER, OF SHELDON, MISSOURI.

FOLDING CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

Application filed .Tune 29, 1908. Serial No. 440,924.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, VILLIAM E. THnAsHnR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sheldon, in the county of Vernon and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Crates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to shipping crates of the folding type, and has for an object to provide a device of this character which will be simple in construction, which may be readily knocked down or set up, and which may be stamped from sheet material to provide a tight, strong, and durable crate or case.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and it will be understood that changes in the specific structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification and in which like numerals of ref-erence indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a plan view of the crate disclosing the lid as open. Fig. 2 is a central sectional View of the crate, Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, Fig. 4 discloses the crate as folded, Fig. 5 is a front detail disclosing the position of the securing ear and sealing member. Fig. 6 is a detail disclosing a modification in which the securing ear is eliminated, Fig. 7 shows a plan view of one of the casing holders, Fig. 8 discloses a plan view of the crate in a knoekdown condition and secured by means of the removable return harness, Fig. 9 shows a broken sectional detail disclosing the locking web within one of the sides, Fig. 10 shows a detail of one of the coupling links, Fig. 11 discloses the method of securing a shipping ta@V to the crate.

LIteferring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown a crate 10 comprising a bottom 11 having ends 12 and 13 respectively. The ends 12 and 13 at their lower edges are provided with curved tongues 15 arranged for interlocking engagement between similar tongues 14 formed at the ends of the bottom 11, and these tongues 14 and 15 receive the pivot pins 1G whereby the ends 12 and 13 are hingedly connected. The ends 12 and 13 respectively have their side edges bent upon themselves as shown at 17 to provide tongues 18 arranged for interlocking engagement with similar tongues 19 carried by locking webs 2O for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The tongues of the locking webs, and the tongues 18 thus receive vertically disposed pins 21 whereby the locking members are hingedly connected, as disclosed in Fig. 9.

The front edge of the bottom 11 is provided with a plurality of downwardly curved tongues 22 disposed with their ends in spaced relation, and these tongues are thus arranged to receive a horizontally disposed pin 24. The pin 24 carries a plurality of loosely connected coupling links 25 which are provided with curled ends 26 and 27 respectively, as shown in Fig. 10, the ends 26 being engaged with the pin 28, and the ends 27 being engaged with a similar pin 24 arranged in the curled portions of the bars 29 carried by the crate front 30. The front 30 is provided with overlapping portions 31 at its ends, to form pockets arranged to receive the locking webs 2O carried by the end walls 12 and 13 respectively. The front 30 has a but-ton 32 located upon the inside adjacent to each of its ends carried by a pin 33, as shown. It will thus be seen that the button 32 at each end of the front wall is arranged for engagement with the adjacent locking web carried by the end wall. Each pin 33, as shown in Fig. 5, is provided with a disk (30 disposed with its outer edge in a housing G3, and this disk is provided with a recess arranged to be brought in line with a passage 37 formed in the housing 63, as shown.

A back 39 is hingedly connected at its lower end as shown at 40 to the rear edge of the bottom by means of a set of coupling ears in a manner identical with that described for the front, and this back at each end,is provided with an overlapping pocket forming portion 41 arranged to receive the locking webs 20 which are also carried by the ends 12 and 13 and which are identical in construction with the locking members 20. The back is provided with buttons 42 and 43 respectively arranged for engagement with the locking members 20, as shown in Fig. 2.

A partition 44 is hingedly connected as shown at 45 to the back 39, and at the lower end the partition is provided with a hinged web 46 for engagement beneath a rail 47 carried by the bottom 11. A web 48 is also hingedly connected to the partition 44 at its outer edge, and this web 48 is arranged for engagement beneath a rail 49 carried by the front of the casing. The back 39 is hingedly connected by means of coupling links `as shown at 50 to a top 5l. The top 51, adjacent to each of its ends is provided with a hingedly connected hasp 57 having a right angularly disposed outer end 58 for engagement in the slot 59 formed in the front 30, and which is thus arranged to be locked in the passage by means of the rotatable disk 60, having a recess to uncover the slot 59, it being understood that the disk 60 is revolved to bring its recessed portion into alinement with the passage formed in the housing 63 whereby the right angularly disposed portion of the hasp 57 may be inserted in the slot 59, after which, the disk may be revolved as will be readily understood to effectively lock the hasp 57 below the disk 60. Each disk 60 is provided with a ring 64, and this ring is adapted to receive a seal 56 carried by the housing 63. The top 5l, at its middle, is also provided wit-h a hingedly connected hasp 57 having a right angularly disposed portion 58 arranged for insertion in a passage 59 formed in the front wall, and which is adapted to be closed at times by a revoluble disk 60 similar with the disks previously described.y

The front 30, near one end is provided with a plurality of horizontally disposed slits 65, and the metal of the front wall be tween the slits is pressed outward to form the holding strips 66 for the reception of a shipping tag 67. The downward movement of the shipping tag 67 is limited by means `of a member 68 carried by the front 30.

In F ig. 8 of the drawings, a harness 70 is provided for holding the crate in its folded position, and consists of a plurality of metallic pocket members 71, one member being disposed at each corner of the crate for engagement with portions of its walls, as shown. The pocket members at the sides of the crate areconnected by chains 7 2 and 73, the chain 73 being formed in two parts, one part being provided with a hook 74 for engagement in a link of the adjacent part of the chain. The pocket 4members are also connected by chains 75 disposed at the ends of the crate. Each pocketmember is formed of a single piece of material and consists of two substantially triangular shaped heads 76 and 77 connected by a portion 78. It will thus be seen that the side edges of the heads 76 and 77 may be bent on the dotted lines whereby portions of each head lie in overlapping relation, whereby they may be riveted or otherwise held together.

l/Vhatis claimed is:

l. A crate of the class described comprising a plurality of hingedly connected walls adapted to fold inwardly, a partition hinged to the rear wall, a hinged web carried by the lower edge of the partition, a rail iixed to the bottom with which the web engages, a hinged cover', and means for securing the several parts in an open position.

2. A shipping crate comprising a plurality of hingedly connected walls, hingedly mounted members carried by the end walls for locking engagement with the front and rear walls, a liingedly mounted partition carried by the rear wall of the crate, a web hinged to the lower edge of the partition and a rail fixed to the bottom with which the web engages.

3. A shipping crate comprising a plurality of hingedly connected walls arranged to form a rectangular body, the front and rear walls having portions at their ends bent to lie in spaced relation to the front and rear walls, hingedly connected members carried by the end walls for engagement with the bent portions ot the front and rear walls, a hinged member carried by the top wall, the front wall having a passage formed therein and arranged to receive a portion of the hinged member, and means for securing the several parts in an open position.

In testimony whereof I aiX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. THRASHER.

Witnesses:

HARRY HALE,

J. W. WAYNE. 

